Flat knitting machine



y 1941.3 c. w. STRZALKOWSKI 2,242,047

FLAT KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 INVENTOR. r 27 g. c HAk sfi W. STRZALKOWISKII Z6 y ATYJORNEYJ'.

y 9 c. w. STRZALKOWSKI FLAT KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. CHAEl-JES W. 5TR2AI4 OW6KI ZMMVA'ALZL ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATES 'l' OFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in flat knitting machines of the general type employed for knitting full fashioned hosiery.

Such machines are 'made in multiple sections, each productive of a single knitted blank and operated in unison from driving or operating mechanism, connected in common to the various sections. Machines having as many as twentyfour sections are in quite general use, and as it is necessary to stop the entire machine to make repairs or replacements of needles in anyone section, considerable time is lost by the operator and the productive capacity of the machine correspondingly reduced.

An object of this invention is to provide means whereby the needle bar or bars of any one of the sections may be released from the operating connections and needles repaired or replaced while the other sections continue in operation.

A further object is to provide means whereby one or more sets of needle bars and associated parts may be released from the operating connections and the supporting connections adjusted to hold the bars in a position convenient for the repair or replacementof needles.

A further object is to provide means whereby the release, adjustment, and readjustment of needle bars may be made for the stated purposes without danger of disalignment and without material loss of time in the operation of the other sections.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, .in end elevation, of the operating parts of one of the sections of a flat knitting machine, with the shafting shown in cross section.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the upper portions of the same section, said section containing a pair of needle bars.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view, drawn generally to line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a modified form of construction, with dotted lines illustrating a needle bar as it appears when released from the operating connections, and supported in a position to facilitate repairs.

Figure 5 is a sectional View drawn generally to line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail view of a latch for the releasable section of the press arm illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In Figure l the rocking needle bar shaft I0, associated needle bars ll, sinker head l2 with its sinker blades l3, welt rod guide bars I4, press lever 15, latch bar It, and their associated parts may all be of ordinary construction and mode of operation, except for the features new to be described.

In a construction having two needle bars for one section they are usually mounted upon a common support 20, which, in turn, has one or more downwardly extending portions 2!, each pivoted to an arm 22 supported from the rocking needle bar shaft l0. Ordinarily these rocking arms are keyed or otherwise permanently secured to the shaft I0, but for the purposes of the improved structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, I provide these arms 22 with hubs 24 which are loose on the shaft ill and located between fixed collars 25 and 26. The collar 25 may be permanently secured to the shaft in any convenient manner. The collar 26 is preferably keyed to the shaft l9 and has an arm 21 normally parallel to the arm 22 and adapted to be secured thereto by releasable connections, now to be described.

It will be noted in Figure 3 that the arm 22 has a projecting boss or shoulder 30, having a threaded socket to receive the fastening screw 3!, which extends through an arcuate slot 32 in the arm 27. The screw has a knurled head 33 to facilitate manual operation. Spring actuated dowel pins 34 are socketed in the arm 21 and are tapered to normally fit in the tapered sockets 35 in the arm 22 or its projection 30.

Compression springs 36 tend to hold the dowel pins in the sockets 35, but each of the pins is withdrawable by means of a rod 31, which has a cross pin38 to normally enter a channel 39 in the cap piece 40. When the dowel pin is retracted the cross pin 38 may be withdrawn from the channel and rotated to the position in which the left-hand rod 31 is illustrated in Figure 3, whereby the cross pin engages the hub of the cap piece Ml and holds the associated dowel pin 34 in retracted position.

When the fastening screw 3! is loosened and each of the dowel pins 34 retracted, the needle bar actuating arm 22 will be released from the rock shaft ill and no motion will be transmitted to, the needle bar if both of the arms 22, illustrated in Figure 2, are thus released.

By stopping the machine long enough to effect such a release of the arms 22' for any given section, the needle bar or bars relating to that section will be permitted to remain at rest, although the other sections may continue in operation.

When so released, the press lever or arm l5 may be supported by a suitable rest connected with the frame of the machine. In Figure 1 I have illustrated a shouldered foot piece 4| on the lower end of the arm 15, and in the dotted line position this foot piece engages a rest 42 on a fixed frame member 43.

Preferably, the foot piece has a socket to receive a spring-actuated interlo'cln'ng projec tion. 45 on the rest, whereby these members may be engaged to securely hold the needle bar in the forwardly tilted dotted line position. The pivotal connection between press arm l5 and latch bar It may be of the ordinary adjustable typ the pivot pin extending loosely through the aperture in the lower end of the press arin, and the latter being provided with adjusting screws 5| permit-ting an exact positioning of the press arm.

The supporting collar 26 for the arm 2l is permanently fixed to the shaft ID in its exact factory predetermined position. The collar 25 is also fixed to this shaft, and there-fore the hub 24 cannot shift longitudinally when released from the relatively short arm 27.

Therefore, when the pins 34 are in doweling position and the connecting screw 31 turned to clamping position, the arm 22 will be accurately positioned and securely held in the same relation to the associated needle bar as if it were permanently fixed to the shaft at the factory.

In the embodiment of my invention as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the arms 22a have their hubs 24a permanently connected with the shaft l by keys 53, but their outer ends are received in a slot 54 extending longitudinally in the press arm [5a and normally connected to the press arm by a coupling pin 55. This pin has a knurled head 56, the hub 51 of which is threaded to engage in a threaded socket in the press arm, as shown in Figure 4. When the coupling pin is unscrewed and withdrawn, it may be supported from the needle bar by a chain 58. When .the coupling pin is thus withdrawn the actuating arm 2241 will be allowed to swing idly in the slot 54.

The lower end portion of the press arm and the associated end of the latch bar I Be is received between a pair of arms 64, extending upwardly from a sleeve 55 mounted upon an auxiliary shaft 66, which is mounted to oscillate in frame members 6-1. The'sleeve 65 is secured between collars 68 on the shaft 66, and one of these collars is provided with a stop arm 69 to be engaged by a projection 10 on the adjacent guide arm 64.

The guide arms 64 have their upper ends connected by a cross pin 11 which extends through a slot 12 in the press arm l5a, the press arm being normally free to move upwardly and downwardly between the guide arms 64 in correspondence with the upward and downward movements of the connected arm 22a, the pin 55 being in coupling position.

The lower end of the press arm is provided with a cross bore in which latch dogs 15 may be seated in a position of normal retraction. These latch dogshave their inner ends provided with rack bars 16 in engagement with a central pinion 11, the shaft 18 of which projects at one side of the press arm and is provided with an operating knob 79.

Near the upper end of the supporting arms 64 sockets 83 are provided, into which the latch dogs 15 may be driven by rotation of the knob 19 and its pinion l1, whenever the press arm is raised sufficiently to bring the latch dogs in registry with said sockets 83.

When the .press arm is uncoupled from the needle bar actuating arm- 2211, the press arm may be swung to the tilted position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 5, and lifted to the dotted line position, thereby bringing the latch dogs 15 into registry with the sockets 8'3. Thereupon the knob 19 will be rotated to push the latch dogs into said sockets. The arms '64 will then be supported by the projection 10, the latter being in contact with the stop 69. Therefore, the press arm and associated needle bar will be securely held in the raised inoperative position, and the associated needle bar actuating arm 2 2a may be allowed to swing idly in the press arm slot 54 while the other sections of the knitting machine are being normally operated.

It will be observed that the needle bar and needles may thus be supported above the welt rod guide bars M in a position to facilitate a removal and replacement of needles.

It will be obvious that in both forms of construction illustrated in the drawings, it is immaterial whether the section is provided with a single needle bar or a pair of needle bars. If there are a pair of needle bars there will be a corresponding pair of operating arms 22 or 22a and press arms I5 or [5a. In either case, provision is made for supporting the press arms and needle bars in stationary positions, forwardly inclined away from the sinker blades, and also in positions from which they can be quickly readjusted to operative position and coupled with the shaft I!) when the repairs have been completed.

To repair any! section of the machine, it is merely necessary to uncouple its actuating arm or arms 22 or 22a, adjust and secure each associated press arm in its stationary forwardly tilted position, and then resume operation of all of the other sections while the repairs are being made. Upon completion of the repairs, the press arms and needle bars will be readjusted to their normal positions and secured to the operating arm or arms 22 or 22a, the machine being merely stopped long enough to permit recoupling the repaired parts.

Embodiments of my invention are subject to a wide range of modification in view of the foregoing disclosure of means for maintaining a factory pre-determined precision of the parts when reassembled for renewed operation.

I claim:

1. In a multiple section flat knitting machine, the combination with the needle bar of one of the sections, of a slotted press arm, one in supporting relation to the needle bar, an operating arm for the press arm having one end in the press arm slot, a retractible coupling pin normally connecting the operating arm with the press arm, a guide member for the lower end of the press arm, and latch mechanism for supporting the press arm from the guide member when the coupling pin is withdrawn.

2. In a multiple section flat knitting machine in which each section includes a power arm, press arm and a needle bar supported upon and actuated thereby for reciprocation of needles carried by the needle bar, a supporting shaft 66 and spaced supporting arms 65 carried thereby in embracing relation to the press arm, detent means between the press arm and the supporting arms for interengagement therebetween in an extreme position of reciprocation of the press arm, means for releasably connecting the power arm and press arm, the press arm being provided with a slot for the free movement of the power arm with reference to the press arm when so disconnected whereby to permit the press arm to be moved to detent engaging position for support of the needle bar during periods of disconnection between the press arm and the power arm.

3. In a multiple section flat knitting machine, in which each section includes a reciprocating power driven arm, a press arm and a needle bar carried by the press arm, said power driven arm having sliding connection with the press arm, a removable coupling pin adapted, in coupling relation, to prevent relative sliding movement between the power arm and press arm, a pivotally mounted supporting guide for the press arm, and latch means for connecting the guide with the press arm when the power arm is uncoupled to permit such sliding movement, whereby the press arm and needle bar may be supported in a fixed position, inoperative for knitting purposes, when said coupling pin is removed.

4. In a multiple section fiat knitting machine provided with a rock shaft common to the sections and a rocker arm for each section fixed to the shaft in precise factory predetermined position, a needle bar carrying press arm, said rocker arm and press arm having apertures in normal registry, a removable pivot pin fitting said apertures and adapted to serve as a dowelling connection between the press arm and rocker arm, and means for supporting the press arm with the needle bar in an inoperative position when said pivot pin is removed, whereby the rocker arm may continue to oscillate while the press arm and needle bar are at rest.

CHARLES W. STRZALKOWSKI. 

